Sony 65A9G, Samsung 65Q90R, Panasonic UB820, Oppo 2051917Detail levels are immense. The texture and minutiae in everything from the meticulously recreated trenches and no man’s land sets to the mud- and blood-spattered uniforms of the soldiers and the poignantly rich, grassy pastures of the ironically beatific countryside looks incredibly lifelike and immediate.
It likely does no harm to the extreme detail and clarity of the picture that the transfer runs at a very high bit-rate. During scenes that contain a lot of background detail and movement data rates routinely exceed 80Mpbs, punching right up to 100Mbps at times. There’s also more refinement and finesse in the film’s skin tones. This matters in 1917 more than usual, as the film’s remarkable attention to realism extends almost miraculously at times to changes in the actors’ pallor. Check out, in particular, the differing and changing complexions of the two main actors during the traumatic few minutes following the crash of the German plane.
There’s also a touch more color refinement in the Dolby Vision master, particularly during the film’s darkest scenes. The score also imbues the action with an array of emotions and moods that the urgency and filming limitations associated with the ‘one shot’ approach might sometimes have made impossible to create visually. ... [+]The way the score is actually mixed for Atmos is what really seals the deal, though.